NEGRENSE maverick Arturo Valdez his expedition teams proved to the world they have achieved the greatness of men with their extraordinary courage and bravery to reach the world's highest peak, the Mt. Everest, and also navigated the most dangerous waters in traveling some of country's beautiful island reaching up to China using the unconventional balangay boats which were used before by our ancestors.
Valdez and his team got the expensive pages of a broadsheet that marked its 32nd year just this month.
His wife, former mayor Luzviminda Valdez, has always been proud of the extraordinary achievements of his husband and his team whose natural terrain is always extremely different and impressive.
Valdez said the Mt. Everest expedition and the voyage of the balangay were primarily launched to serve as symbols and inspiration to the youth.
Last year, Valdez has brought home his three special cultural balangay boats named Sama Tawi-Tawi, Lahi ng Maharlika and Sultan of Sulu to Bacolod City, docking at Bredco port following their voyage from Manila to Zamboanga, Boracay, Lakawaon in Cadiz and back to Bacolod City.
Valdez who was known for his passion to do things extraordinarily engaged in a voyage done through manual sail with the help of the wind that power up their vessels in going to their desired destinations.
Valdez started this balangay voyage after the success of bringing his expedition team to the Mt. Everest despite the dangers of facing death, strained by winter's unpredictability.
Valdez said: "this is us. We want to experience what our ancestors have experienced in the past when they travelled at sea." (CNC)